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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25460515">After The War</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/so_freaking_tired/pseuds/so_freaking_tired'>so_freaking_tired</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Canon Compliant, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Firelord Zuko (Avatar), Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Light Angst, Politics, Post-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 10:15:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,731</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25460515</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/so_freaking_tired/pseuds/so_freaking_tired</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zuko is the Firelord, and as difficult as it is to rebuild everything from the ground up, he has the support of his friends. More specifically, he has Katara.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katara/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>49</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>After The War</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>heyy,<br/>i'm back with a very lazily named fic ft. zutara (because i'm a total zutara slut). i really don't know where i'm going with this. it was gonna be one chapter but then it got too long. oh well. i think it's gonna be kind of like... the transformation of their friendship into a romance. so, yeah. <br/>hope you enjoy!<br/>xx</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Well I think you all look perfect!”</p><p>Everyone laughed at Toph’s joke loudly and even the ever-stoic Mai let out a chuckle. Zuko’s eyes had continuously grazed over her that afternoon – part of him wanted to make sure she was alright. The other day, before his coronation, they had made amends following their breakup. It was casual – no promises of a future relationship. He knew that it was over, but Zuko still felt guilty for breaking her heart. He hoped she wasn’t still upset with him. Though he knew it wasn’t meant to be between them, he still considered her a close friend.</p><p>But she was smiling, and Ty Lee quickly pulled on her sleeve to get her attention and the two friends started conversing happily. Zuko looked away, satisfied, and his eye caught Katara stepping out into the courtyard to approach Aang, who was watching the sunset contently.</p><p>Zuko gulped. He had noticed that something was going on between them – even in the short time he’d travelled with the group, Aang definitely liked Katara. He knew they weren’t an item, but the young avatar obviously wanted something to happen between them; he could see it in the way that Aang looked at her.</p><p>But Zuko would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that his own feelings for Katara had crept slowly over the line of friendship and into a slight crush. It had started, strangely, when she yelled at him in the caves beneath Ba Sing Se. She was such a force, and a beautiful one, that he’d spent many of his nights in the palace wondering what it would’ve been like if he had chosen her over Azula that fateful night. And when he joined the Avatar, her forgiveness was that which he sought the most.</p><p>Though he knew he had also put Aang through unbearable pain. Even before he spent almost a whole year hunting him, his compliancy to his father’s actions hadn’t helped any of the other nations. If he had tried to fight back earlier…</p><p>It was useless to think that way, Zuko told himself, because his father would have just banished or killed him. There was no point in regretting his childhood. But he did make a private promise to himself that he would never attempt to come between Aang and happiness – if Katara made him happy and she chose the Avatar over her former enemy, Zuko would understand.</p><p>Though, he was slightly relieved when all she did was pull him into a hug, like a mother would to her son.</p><p> </p><p>In the following weeks, the Gaang (as Sokka insisted on calling it) all made their plans to part ways. Suki would stay with the Kyoshi Warriors and be Zuko’s personal guard, since there were still many fire nation citizens that didn’t approve of the whole “peace and prosperity” thing. Sokka was going to go back to the South Pole to visit home and escort his father and other tribe members. Toph was going to attempt to make amends with her family (though she bitterly grumbled that it “wouldn’t take long”). Aang and Katara insisted on staying to help Zuko through the difficult first weeks of leading.</p><p>“It will be fun,” Aang told him brightly, “now you get to write your own destiny.”</p><p>But “writing his destiny” looked a lot more like writing letters and drafting laws and fixing the totally corrupt system his father had led with for so many years. Additionally, there were protests about his crowning – though most earth nation and water nation people were happy that he had defeated his father, the citizens closer to home were less excited.</p><p>“My father designed the world to work <em>only </em>for the fire nation,” Zuko complained one day over a pile of paperwork and the shouts of a protest outside the palace walls, “can’t they see that they have to compromise a little to make life fair for everyone?”</p><p>Katara was sitting on the edge of his desk, a drop of water dancing around her fingertips. She let it splash onto the stone floor and turned her focus to him.</p><p>“I know it’s hard,” she said, “but you have to understand that you’re doing the right thing. If you get discouraged now you’ll just be disappointed. There’s a lot more work ahead of you.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Zuko grumbled hotly.</p><p>“I mean,” she scooted closer to him and let her hand rest on his shoulder. “You’re in the worst bit of it. Once you get through this and people calm down, it’s smooth sailing. Then maybe you can finally go on your field trip with Toph.”</p><p>Zuko chuckled. “Yeah, maybe. Thanks, Katara.”</p><p> </p><p>It was nice to have Katara around; though he loved Aang like a brother, that’s really what Aang was like: a brother. Though he was sometimes wise and commanding, his freedom from the demands of defeating Ozai had taken a weight off his chest. He spent a lot of time flying around the fire nation on his glider and getting into trouble.</p><p>Zuko couldn’t blame him – he was only thirteen, after all, and he’d had a pretty rough year. But he couldn’t help but feel jealous when he watched Aang fly past his window as he was pent up in his office meeting with his advisors.</p><p>Though he had many wise advisors who gave him invaluable information about what to do, his most trusted confidant was Katara. The pair had become immensely close. In the few moments they had to rest, they would eat meals together, take walks in the courtyard, and tell each other stories about their childhoods.</p><p>“When I was a toddler, I crawled right into this pond,” Zuko told her one afternoon, pointing to the pond where the turtleducks swam about. “almost drowned.”</p><p>Katara laughed brightly. He loved the sound of her laugh – like tinkling bells.</p><p>“I did something similar when I was six,” she admitted, “the ice cracked and I fell right into the ocean. The current almost swept me away, but I closed my eyes and somehow ended up back on land. That’s how we found out I was a waterbender.”</p><p>“Wow,” Zuko reacted. Katara knelt down beside the pond and held out her hand to the turtleducks, who quacked happily and moved towards her. She giggled at the funny creatures and Zuko’s stomach did a flip. She had all the kindness and strength of his mother. Ursa would have liked Katara.</p><p> </p><p>Sokka came back a couple of months later, bringing some much-needed spirit back to the palace. Shortly after, Toph returned as well. Zuko threw a small dinner party for his five closest friends to celebrate their reunion.</p><p>Sokka and Suki weren’t much fun – they spent the whole dinner oogling at each other and left early to go do god knows what, but Zuko had fun listening to Toph’s stories of her journey.</p><p>“And then, I showed them my metalbending. They were pretty shocked,” she cackled, retelling how her parents had (somewhat) accepted their daughter’s badassery. “Zuko,” she glared at him, swinging a punch into his arm that made him say <em>ow, </em>“we have to go on our field trip.”</p><p>“I know,” Zuko said guiltily, “I’m a little tied up right now.” Toph scowled at him and Katara decided to change the subject.</p><p>“Zuko’s been getting a lot done while you were gone,” Katara told Toph, who appeared to have lost interest. Katara continued anyways. “We already evicted the fire nation troops from Ba Sing Se. There was a lot of pushback about the families who were from the fire nation not wanting to leave their homes, but when we compromised and removed the troops, the earth nation citizens seemed to be pleased with that.”</p><p>“Cool,” Toph said emotionlessly, and Aang yawned.</p><p>“I’m going to bed guys,” Aang said, standing. Toph followed behind him.</p><p>“As much as I love listening to politics talk, I’m going with twinkletoes.” She waved absently at them as she followed Aang out of the dining hall. It left Katara and Zuko to pick around at their dessert quietly.</p><p>“Hey Zuko?” Katara asked.</p><p>“Hm?” he acknowledged.</p><p>“What are you going to do about Azula?”</p><p>Zuko nearly choked on his fruit tart.</p><p>“I mean, you confronted Ozai about your mother,” Katara continued as Zuko struggled to breathe beside her, “and Azula’s just been locked up in there. Have you talked to her at all?”</p><p>“No,” Zuko rasped, “and I’m not planning on it.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>He sighed. “Ty Lee went to visit her. Said she’s just like she always is. Crazy. She’s just plain manipulative, Katara, and I can’t have her making me doubt myself when I’m already doubting myself so much.”</p><p>“What does she say?”</p><p>He knew Katara was just being curious, or trying to make him feel better, or something. It was with good intentions. But explaining the inner workings of his insane sister’s mind was impossible.</p><p>“I don’t know. Stuff she knows I’m saying to myself on the inside. Stuff that gets under my skin.”</p><p>“Like?”</p><p>“I don’t know, Katara!” Zuko snapped, “That I’m a terrible fire lord and an even worse friend? That I can’t do anything right? That, I don’t know, as much as I try to be good, I’ll never do anything that makes me truly deserve your forgiveness and friendship?”</p><p>Katara stared at him blankly. He let out a breath. “Stuff like that.” He whispered.</p><p>Katara finally stood and moved towards his chair. She looked down at him and for a moment he thought she was angry with him. But suddenly, she grasped his shoulders and pulled him up and into her arms.</p><p>He hadn’t been hugged for quite a while – maybe the last time was when his uncle left for Ba Sing Se. Katara’s hugs were warm and firm and indescribably comfortable. Despite his initial shock, he finally reciprocated, and his arms snaked around her waist, pulling her tight against him.</p><p>“Don’t say that stuff,” Katara finally murmured, “don’t even think it. I know you think you’ll never be forgiven, but we’ve all forgiven you. Most of the earth nation has forgiven you. My tribe has forgiven you. You’re a good person and a good fire lord. And I wouldn’t hang out with you if I didn’t like you.”</p><p>He pulled back. “That’s nice to hear. Thanks, Katara.”</p><p>“I’m always here for you,” she replied, “always.”</p>
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